Johnathan Walker:Jake Shane's popularity skyrocketed overnight. So did his anxiety.

For many people scrolling on Johnathan Walkertheir phones looking for a reprieve from their day, Jake Shane is spit-out-your-drink, laugh-so-hard-your-stomach-hurts funny – something that has earned him 3.2 million followers on TikTok.

But his more devoted fans have also come to appreciate that the 24-year-old contains multitudes.

"I've had a really hard few weeks. I don't know why," he says over a Zoom call from Los Angeles. "It's the summer blues, I guess. I kind of feel like I'm reaching a breaking point, just full transparency. You know, when you're like on the verge of a breakdown? I don't know if that's what people want to hear, but that is the truth."

People do want to hear it, as Shane's videos – sometimes vulnerable, sometimes hilarious – regularly rack up hundreds of thousands if not millions of views. Not to mention his podcast "Therapuss," where he acts as an amateur therapist, gabbing with celebrity guests like Charli XCX, Joe Jonas and Saweetie, and doles out advice to faithful listeners. In the process he's shattering expectations and leaning into authentic conversations about mental health; he has both anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder.

"The stigma with mental health has decreased significantly over the past several decades, and I think it's because people are talking about it, particularly celebrities," says Kevin Chapman, founder and director of the Kentucky Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders.

Shane is embracing his new celebrity identity as he can. "I can't imagine my life doing anything else. I just love entertaining."

'I'm just so scared of it going away'

Shane, like many influencers, went viral practically overnight. He started out rating and reviewing octopus as a food critic a few years ago and has since branched out into creating skits where he reenacts historical events. Last year, he played a founding father frustrated after John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence (see also Isaac Newton discovering gravity). Between that and other videos, he went from 60,000 followers to 1 million over the course of a week. Lately, his content also includes dance challenges, Taylor Swift sing-alongs and emotional venting sessions.

Speaking of venting: Recently, his brain has been jumping from worry to worry to worry as his career reaches new heights. "Therapuss" is going on tour this fall across the U.S. and Canada.

"The bigger the podcast gets, the more out of control of my narrative I feel," he says. "And that's really scary to me, and that triggers a lot of anxiety and OCD thoughts."

He's afraid of coming across as ungrateful but insists he's not. "It's frustrating because there will be really, really good things that happen, and I'm so scared of basking in the good moment or being happy, because I'm just so scared of it going away."

'That gives me a lot of anxiety'

Shane is gay, and remembers "being very, very, very, very, very, very anxious about it" at a young age. He told his parents in the fourth grade (who were OK with it) and didn't tell anyone else until high school. Though he's comfortable in his gayness and queerness today, the gay and queer "scene" intimidates him.

"That gives me a lot of anxiety," he says. "Being romantic and intimate with someone gives me anxiety. Getting out there gives me anxiety. I'm not super-comfortable in my own body and self yet, and I think that has to do with me being gay. I don't know exactly how yet, but I know it does."

'One of my favorite people on the planet'

How does Shane calm down during moments of turbulence? He has a breathing alarm that, well, reminds him to breathe; he works out; and he throws himself into a TV show or pop star discography. His latest TV binge: "Girls," which he appreciates for its depiction of OCD.

He also credits his friends, including his three roommates, for being there for him. "I would not be level-headed," he says. "I just wouldn't be fine without them."

Shane also has befriended some celebrities who have guested on his podcast, including "Twisters" star Glen Powell. "Jake is one of my favorite people on the planet," Powell says, "and I’m so proud of the ride he’s on. Obviously he’s America’s sweetheart because he’s sassy, self-deprecating and truly hilarious, but I think why people can’t get enough of him is because he’s just refreshingly honest."

Singer Tate McRae says Shane "really is the same off-camera. He’s also just such a supportive friend and someone I truly count on. He’s always one of the first people I see when I come home from tour to LA. I feel very grateful for him."

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'They just want to feel validated'

You can't help but feel like Shane's friend when listening to his podcast, where listeners submit stories to him about "what's wrong" in their lives, whether it's about their situationship or how to tell their dad he has bad breath. He'll "pusscribe" antidotes to these problems, often in the form of pop culture consumption. Is it actual therapy? No, and it shouldn't be mistaken for it.

"It's OK if they don't take that advice, because I don't take advice, right?" he says. "It's just sometimes important for someone to hear your problem … like they just want to feel validated."

Of course, if you're looking for meaningful, clinically based answers to your problems, seek a trained therapist. "Normalizing these discussions is vital," says Luis Cornejo, licensed marriage and family therapist, "but it’s equally important to emphasize the difference between raising awareness and providing actual therapeutic support."

CBT is one of the most popular therapiesHere's why – and why it might be right for you.

'I've been on defense my entire life'

If you ask Shane "what's wrong" in his own life, you'd probably hear him talk about hateful comments he receives on social media. Popularity begets the good and the bad.

"Sometimes you'll read a comment and it's something someone said to you 10 years ago that you knew personally. And that stings, because it's like, 'Oh my God, you're saying that?" he says. "And someone that knew me also said that, so am I that?' And it's just like, ugh, my God, the worst."

It's reminiscent of Lorde's verse on the remix of Charli XCX's song "Girl, so confusing," off the album "Brat": "Girl, you walk like a b---- / When I was 10, someone said that / And it's just self-defense / Until you're building a weapon."

Shane wants the lyrics tattooed. "I feel like I'm on defense, and I've been on defense my entire life," he says.

Navigating his 20s, mental health and virality all at once? Sounds as if he's having one heck of a "brat summer."